Belfast Glider G2 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) from Wellington Place (City Centre) to Titanic

The Glider is a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system in in Belfast, Northern Ireland with the main trunk east-west G1 route via the city centre, and the G2 route between the city centre and Titanic Quarter. For tourists, the Glider G2 is most useful for getting to Titanic Belfast, a museum showcasing the RMS Titanic’s history on the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard where the RMS Titanic was built.

Wellington Place (City Centre) Glider Bus Stop

Wellington Place is the main bus transfer stop for the Glider in Belfast city centre, located adjacent to Belfast City Hall.

Bus arrival information is displayed at Wellington Place Glider bus stop.

Ticket machines are available at the Glider bus stop. The Glider operates like a tram with open boarding and on-board revenue protection checks. Ensure that you buy your Glider ticket before boarding the Glider bus.

A Glider Adult Single ticket costs £1.60 and a Glider Adult Day ticket costs £4.20. However, an mLink Off Peak Day Ticket valid after 9.30am from Mondays to Sundays costs only £3. So if you are considering returning to the city centre by Glider, just buy the mLink Off Peak Day Ticket from the mLink app.

The route map of the Glider network in Belfast. Note the one-way loop route in the city centre.

Timetables for both Glider lines are also displayed.

The Glider G2 route operates at a low frequency during most times, departing at 00 and 30 of the hour. More services are aded during weekday peak periods, though still not as frequent as the main G1 line.

The Glider G2 at Wellington Place.

Boarding the Glider is straightforward – just step on with a valid ticket.

The Glider operates with 18m-long Van Hool ExquiCity articulated buses. There is a mix of open spaces, longitudinal, and transverse seats on board, making it feel more like a tram instead.

I picked a bay of 4 seats for more legroom since there wasn’t much passengers.

USB power sockets are provided on the bulkhead by the seats.

Next stop information is displayed on information screens on board the Glider bus.

The Glider route map is also displayed on board above the doors.

Passing by Victoria Square.

Making a brief stop at Custom House Square for attractions such as the Albert Memorial Clock and The Salmon of Knowledge (The Big Fish) along the River Lagan.

Crossing the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge over the River Lagan.

Revenue checks are conducted on board by Translink staff. Present your valid ticket to them when they approach.

Passing by SSE Arena Belfast.

Get ready to alight when Titanic is displayed on the information screens.

Otherwise, the SS Nomadic on the left of the bus should be obvious when the Titanic bus stop is approaching.

Titanic Glider Bus Stop

The Glider G2 journey from Wellington Place (City Centre) to Titanic took me 8 minutes.

Titanic is the end of the dedicated Glider bus lane. The Glider G2 continues down Queens Road to Catalyst where it loops around to head back to Wellington Place (City Centre).

Walk straight ahead to Titanic Belfast.

Alternatively, the SS Nomadic is just beside. Do note that Titanic Belfast tickets include a visit to the SS Nomadic.

The Harland & Wolff shipyard’s Samson and Goliath twin shipbuilding gantry cranes can be seen from the road to Titanic Belfast.

Titanic Belfast

Titanic Belfast is a museum showcasing the RMS Titanic’s history on the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard where the RMS Titanic was built.

The Titanic Belfast museum showcases stories and mockups of how the famous ship was built, passenger experiences, her demise, and research operations.

SS Nomadic

The SS Nomadic is a former tender of the White Star Line, built to transfer passengers and mail to and from RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic. She is the only surviving vessel designed by Thomas Andrews who also designed those two ocean liners, and the only White Star Line vessel in existence today.

Much of her interior has been preserved and restored to its original look. The passenger interior is a bit sparse, but remember that SS Nomadic is a tender, with the RMS Titanic being the final destination of the passengers on board from the short tender ride from the port to the big ship.